England's mission improbable

England's hockey players set out this weekend on a mission improbable when they open their World Cup campaign in Kuala Lumpur knowing that only once in nine attempts have their predecessors reached the semifinals.

That was in 1986, when the tournament was held in London and England lost to Australia in the final. But back then, the side included future Olympic gold medallists like David Faulkner and Sean Kerly.

In the three World Cups since then England have reverted to type, falling short of expectations as the title has gone to Holland, twice, and Pakistan.

The present squad, captained by Cannock left-half Craig Parnham, is hardly packed with household names but chief coach Malcolm Wood believes team spirit and recent results make the semis a realistic target.

England were ranked fifth at the Champions Trophy in Lahore in November, won a fourteam tournament in Barcelona at the start of this year and recently finished all square in a four-Test series in South Africa.

After a five-day acclimatisation stay in Singapore this week, Wood reckons his side cause a few surprises. "Our prospects are good," he said. "On our day we can beat any team in the world. This group of players is capable of a semi-final place but in any big tournament, even when you're playing on top form, you need the breaks to get there.